Politics
AL to observe Hasina’s coming home from exile on Tuesday
The Awami League will mark the 42nd anniversary of the homecoming of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday with discussion meetings and prayers and distribution of charities.
On this day in 1981 Hasina returned home from six-year exile in New Delhi, India to take over as the president of Awami League and launch a 21-year pro-democracy movement against military regimes to bring the party back to power by winning the national election in 1996.
Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were abroad on August 15, 1975 when their father Bangladesh President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated with most of his family members at his Dhanmandi-32 residence in Dhaka.
The two daughters had since then been forced to live in exile until Hasina was elected president of Awami League in her absence and returned home on this historic day amid welcome by lakhs of cheering supporters.
After landing at Dhaka’s Kurmitola airport on the rain-swept afternoon on May 17 Hasina addressed a huge rally at Manik Miah Avenue where she vowed to dedicate her life to the restoration of democracy and fulfil Bangabndhu’s unfinished task of building Bangladesh into a ‘Sonar Bangla’, a land of prosperity.
Also read: Sheikh Hasina's Homecoming Day observed
To mark the day Awami League, its front and associated bodies will organise discussions and other programmes highlighting the significance of her return and how she changed the political and development landscape of Bangladesh as the prime minister of Bangladesh.
A discussion meeting of Bangladesh Awami League will be held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital on Tuesday with party’s general secretary Obaidul Quader in the chair.
Bangladesh Awami Jubo League will organise another discussion programme where presidium member of Awami League Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya will attend as the chief guest.
Jubo League chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash will preside over the programme while its general secretary Moinul Hasan Khan Nikhil will conduct it.
The organisation will also distribute clothes, wheel chair and white cane to the physically challenged people during the programme.
Special prayers will be held at mosques and other places of worships across the country seeking blessings for the prime minister.
Also read: Hasina’s homecoming brought country back from darkness: Radwan Mujib
The Hindu community will arrange prayer programme at the Dhakeswari temple in the capital at 10 am, the Buddhist community at the Internatiolnal Buddhist monastery temple at Merul Badda at 9:30 am and the Christian community at the YMC church at Senpara Parbat in Mirpur-10 at 6 pm.
Bangladesh heading towards acute crisis: BNP warns
BNP on Monday warned that the country is going to face an acute crisis due to shortage of food and soaring prices of daily essentials.
“The entire nation is passing their days amid serious anxiety. Bangladesh will plunge into serious crisis,” said BNP senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office he also expressed concern that Bangladesh is moving towards ‘bankruptcy’.
Also read: Bangladesh on verge of collapse like Sri Lanka: Fakhrul
“The situation in Bangladesh can be more critical than in Sri Lanka. The people of the country won’t even find peace by crying silently amid a dire economic situation,” the BNP leader said.
He also said the condition of the people in the country is miserable as the prices of daily necessities are going up very quickly.
“Wheat can’t be imported as the major countries have stopped its export. It will be impossible for ordinary people to buy flour after some days amid the abnormal rise in rice prices and the disappearance of soybean oil,” Rizvi said.
He slammed the government for what he said its failure to stop the price hikes in daily essentials due to the foul play of business syndicates.
Also read: Publish the list of Money launderers, BNP asks govt
“Bangladesh is in a deep crisis of all kinds of food products. The paddy fields in a large area of Bangladesh have gone under water caused by onrush of water from the upstream and the damage of different dams, leaving farmers in a miserable situation,” the BNP leader observed.
BNP leader Moyeen Khan hospitalised
BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan was admitted to city’s Evercare Hospital on Sunday as he fell sick at an event in Narayanganj.
Also read: Publish the list of Money launderers, BNP asks govtHe was admitted to the hospital around 5pm, confirmed BNP chairperson's media wing member Shairul Kabir KhanHe said Moyeen Khan was attending a workshop in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district and suddenly fell sick in the afternoon after delivering a long speech there.
Also read: BNP won’t fall for govt’s false assurance in joining polls: Zainul AbedinHis physical condition can be informed later, he added.
Publish the list of Money launderers, BNP asks govt
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday demanded that a list of those who siphoned off huge amounts of money abroad and their abettors be made public.
"Our question is, how many PK Halders are there (in the county)? How many such people are there? We have seen (media reports) that they (AL leaders) are indulging in siphoning of money by plundering thousands of crores of taka from the country,” he said.
Speaking at a programme on occasion of the Buddha Purnima, the BNP leader said their party wants to know how many thousands of crores of taka have been laundered in this way.
“We also strongly demand the government to make public clearly the way the money was laundered and the names of those who were involved in it and their abettors,”
BNP arranged the programme at its chairperson’s Gulshan office and exchanged greetings with the Buddhist community members, marking Buddha Purnima.
Also read: AL leaders’ plunder of public money a historical fact: BNP
Fakhrul said it is the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Commission ((ACC) to investigate and expose the incidents of corruption, theft and money laundering.
But, he bemoaned that the ACC has long been only harassing the leaders of BNP and catching some small fries.
The BNP leader called upon the ACC to play a proactive role in catching the big fishes those who are associated with the present government and bring them to justice through proper investigation.
He said Awami League General Secretray Obaidul Quader himself admitted that their party leaders siphoned off huge amount of money abroad through his recent remarks that those who had laundered thousands of crores of taka would not be given the leadership of the Awami League.
Fakhrul urged people of all walks of life to get united to come out of the current miserable situation of the country and restore all by ousting the present government.
Also read: BNP won’t fall for govt’s false assurance in joining polls: Zainul Abedin
"Let us all work together and wage a united movement to remove this horrible government and establish a truly representative parliament and government through a fair election under a truly non-partisan neutral government,” he said.
BNP senior leaders and the leaders of Buddhist community from different parts of the country were present at the programme.
AL leaders’ plunder of public money a historical fact: BNP
BNP on Saturday asserted it is now a ‘historical fact’ that Awami League leaders have laundered untold billions abroad by indulging in widespread plunder of wealth, that AL general secretary Obaidul Quader himself admitted.
“Their (AL’s) general secretary Obaidul Quader himself said yesterday (Friday) at their party council in Faridpur that those leaders who siphoned thousands of crores abroad through plunder won’t find any place in Awami League,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Fakhrul said the statement was an admission on the part of Obaidul Quader that ruling party leaders plundered thousands of crores and siphoned off a huge amount of the money. “It’s now a historical fact.”
Fakhrul made the remark while addressing a biennial council of Dinajpur district unit BNP.
Also read: BNP won’t fall for govt’s false assurance in joining polls: Zainul Abedin
He said the US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and 7 officials also proved that Awami League has been indulging in repression, enforced disappearance and assassinations of its opponents.
“The US State Department's human rights report has clearly stated that Begum Khaleda Zia was sentenced and jailed for political reasons out of political vengeance on the part of the government,” Fakhrul observed.
He also alleged that the government has destroyed the judiciary and the administration through politicisation. “They’re controlling the media and taking the country towards destruction.”
The BNP leader also accused the government of turning Bangladesh into a fascist country by destroying the spirit of the Liberation War, annihilating democracy and snatching away all the rights of the people.
As a responsible political party, the BNP leader said it is now their responsibility to restore democracy and rebuild Bangladesh. “People are looking to us (BNP) for the restoration of democracy. We must build a new and prosperous Bangladesh where there will have democratic practice, not repression.”
He urged the young generation to wake up to restore all the rights people have lost, by braving any and all obstacles. “Our victory is certain.”
Also read: Bangladesh on verge of collapse like Sri Lanka: Fakhrul
Renewing their party’s stance on the next polls, Fakhrul said, “We want the current government to hand over power to a neutral government after immediately relinquishing power. And then, a fair election will be held conducted by an impartial election commission where people will be able to cast their vote freely.”
He said the BNP will force the government to meet their demands through a ‘fierce’ movement.
BNP won’t fall for govt’s false assurance in joining polls: Zainul Abedin
BNP Vice-Chairman Advocate Zainul Abedin on Saturday said their party will no longer join any election on the ‘false’ assurance of the government.
“You (govt) are making unnecessary efforts to bring BNP to the polls. You thought you would be able to take BNP to the election again with false assurances, but it won't happen,” he said.
Zainul, also a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was addressing a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club.
As part of the party’s countrywide programme, BNP’s Dhaka district unit arranged the rally in protest against what the party said continuous attacks on opposition leaders by ruling party ‘cadres’ in different parts of the country, including Cumilla.
Also read: Bangladesh on verge of collapse like Sri Lanka: Fakhrul
Zainul said it is heard the policymakers of the government are preparing an election roadmap. “This is not an electoral roadmap. It’s a roadmap on how the unelected government will escape from Bangladesh.”
Mentioning that a plot is on to split BNP, he warned that those who will betray the party driven by their greed of taking benefits from the current government will face dire consequences. “The traitors won’t get any place in Bangladesh.
The BNP leader said the conspirators will not be able to split and weaken their party as people are with them. “You (govt) won’t be able to split BNP, no matter how hard you try.”
Also read: BNP’s caretaker government dream to go in vain: Hasan Mahmud
Referring to the ruling party leaders’ comment that a plot is going on to oust the current government, he said it is a movement of people, not any conspiracy, to ensure the fall of the current regime. “The people of Bangladesh have woken up and they‘re on a movement for your downfall. This movement cannot be stopped by talking about a conspiracy.”
The BNP leader also slammed the government for what he said its failure to control the price hike of daily essentials. “The government has increased the prices of all commodities by creating a syndicate to plunder public money,” he alleged.
Bangladesh on verge of collapse like Sri Lanka: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Friday that the economic situation in Bangladesh is bound to be like that of Sri Lanka as the current economy is collapsing.
The country’s per-capita foreign debt is already around $472 and inflation will rise so much that the economy will collapse, he said in Thakurgaon while exchanging views with journalists in a programme of providing financial assistance to those killed in election violence on January 5 in 2014.
Read: BNP’s caretaker government dream to go in vain: Hasan Mahmud
Fakhrul said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi himself is a businessman. “He should have had a clear idea about the characteristics of Bangladeshi businesspeople. To trust traders means to create opportunities for them.”
“Amid rising commodity prices, we can clearly see these are being increased with the covert help of the government. their syndicates ,” said Fakhrul.
Two people were killed in the police firing in Thakurgaon in the one-party election held on January 5 in 2014, he said.
BNP’s caretaker government dream to go in vain: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the election will be held under the Election Commission during the present government in line with the Constitution like all other democratic countries across the world.
“BNP will gain no benefit in dreaming for the restoration of caretaker government,” he said, replying to a question from journalists.
Also read: AL wants election with participation of all parties: Hasan Mahmud
The minister was talking to reporters before joining the 11th biennial conference of the Entomological Society at the Agricultural Research Council’s auditorium in the city’s Khamarbari area.
“If BNP makes ill-attempts to create chaos in the name of movement, it (anarchy) will be resisted taking the people with us,” he said.
About BNP's demand for caretaker government, Hasan said no government resigns before the election in all the democratic countries like India, Japan, Australia, Europe and even the USA.
He said BNP tried to thwart the 2014 election, but failed. In 2018, it also raised the same demand, but finally participated in the general election forging an alliance of many parties and secured only five seats (in Parliament).
“So, I would like to tell them to take preparation for the next election without making useless rhetoric,” said Hasan, also a joint general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League.
Asked about BNP’s possible movement to overthrow the government, he said, “We’ve been hearing about the movement for the fall of the government for the last 13 years.”
Also read: Election will be held on time: Quader
“If they try to create chaos, carry out arson violence or burn people in the name of the movement as they did before, it will be resisted taking the people with us,” he said.
In the conference, the minister stressed the need for saving the agricultural lands in the country. The arable lands should not be lost due to unplanned urbanization and construction of structures everywhere in unplanned ways.
He said Bangladesh has multiplied its crop production due to agricultural research. “This trend must continue on the path of development,” he added.
Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar and Director General of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) Dr Debashish Sarkar, among others, spoke at the conference.
President of Entomological Society Dr Syed Nurul Alam presided over the function moderated by its general secretary Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, said a PID handout.
BNP to unveil pro-democracy movement outline soon: Gayeshwar
BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Friday said the party will soon unveil the outline of a united movement for the ‘restoration’ of democracy.
"BNP, the lead party of the largest alliance, will unite all through a statement centring on this idea (national unity) and move forward", he said at a discussion in the city.
Also read: Not EVM, BNP’s main focus on polls-time neutral govt: Fakhrul
"I think that efforts are going on. We’ll present it before the nation at any time,” he said.
The BNP leader also said the party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman will come up with a call for waging a united movement soon in absence of Khaleda Zia. “He (Tarique) will present the outline of the future movement. We’ve almost completed the preparations in this regard.
A faction of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) arranged the discussion programme titled “Acceptable Election the Only Solution to the Crisis” at the Jatiya Press Club.
Also read: AL wants EVM in next polls in new plot to rig votes: BNP
Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said their party is going to unite all parties with whom they have differences of opinions for the sake of the country and its people.
“The conspirators will be weakened when a strong unity among the nationalist forces will be forged. If the nationalist forces remain divided, the opportunists will be strong and plundering and corruption will increase,” he observed.
The BNP leader said the government’s ‘fascist’ activities are encouraging the opposition parties to come together and move together putting aside the differences among them. “It’s visible from the statements that the opposition leaders made over the last one month.”
He said BNP's stance is clear that no national election can be held under the current Awami League government. “We want the fall of this government. The current parliament also has to be dissolved.”
Stating that their party has been on a movement, Gayeshwar said they will intensify it at a right and favourable time as per their movement outline. “Now our strategy is to hit back if we are attacked.”
He said no election can be held in a credible manner under the current Prime Minister. “Sheikh Hasina is a big obstacle to a fair election. She must be removed from power before the election. That is what the BNP is talking about.”
The BNP leader said their party will not only boycott the election under Sheikh Hasina, but also resist a name-only election to be held under her.
Fakhrul and BNP leaders should quit the party, says Quader
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday asked his BNP counterpart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to step down from the office for what he said his failure to lead the party in general election.
“You have no achievement to show. So instead of shouting for government’s resignation you better resign,” Quader said in escalating the battle of words with his political opponent.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, was addressing the opening session of Faridpur district Awami League's triennial council this morning.
Also read: Not EVM, BNP’s main focus on polls-time neutral govt: Fakhrul
He further said, “The people think that all top-to-bottom leaders of the BNP including Mirza Fakhrul should resign for failing the movement and elections,"
He reminded the BNP leaders that there was 24-hour load shedding in the country during the party’s rule.
In contrast, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has now ensured cent per cent electrification of the country, Quader said.
The AL leader warned the party members against the “cuckoos of the spring” or fair weather friends inside the party.
He called for identifying those who laundered crores of money abroad using the name of Awami League.
Also read: Next polls to be held under AL govt with BNP’s participation: Hanif
Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafar Ullah was present as the chief guest on the occasion.
Quader said that the Awami League must continue in power under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in order to save the country's democracy, liberation spirit and Bangladesh.
He also said that the party should be turned well-organized and smart from now to successfully face the forthcoming national elections.
The council was presided over by Faridpur District Awami League President Advocate Subal Chandra Saha. Organizing Secretary Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain, Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr. Abdus Sobhan Golap and Faridpur District Awami League General Secretary Syed Masud Hossain were also present.